The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-04-27
In THE ST0CKADE.
A CONFEDERATE CAPTIVE'S AD-
VENTURE IN PRISON.
Five Thousand Prisoners Trying
to Keep Warm-Digging q
Tunnel to Escape-Why
the Plan Failed.


Tunnel to Escape-WhY
the Plan Failed.
I made my entry into Camp Douglass,
near Chicago, the Sd day of January,
1868, says "Ex-Rebel" in the Detroit Free
Press, and may be pardoned for the re-
mark chat it was cold day for me in more
senses than one. Two weeks previous to
my debut in Chicago society I was in
Arkansas, uniformed in the hap-hazard
fashion of the Confederates of that
period, and when came to be railroaded
up North and found the thermometer
down to nine degrees below zero, I couH
hardly hold my teeth in my head. There
were about 5000 prisoners in the stock
ade, which was simply board fence
twelve feet high, and they were provided
with rough shanties and stoves. A
Northern man would have kept comfort
ably warm in the quarters, but it was
hard work for the prisoners to keep fin
gers and toes away from Jack Frost.
Indeed, there were many cases of actual
suffering, though the Federal Govern
ment made the best arrangements pos
sible. The trouble was at the camp in.
stead of at Washington. After certain
hour of the evening all lights must be
out and everybody in bed, and when the
stoves grew cold the frost and wind
drove into the shanties at hundred
points.
There were only six of us in the shanty
to which was assigned, while some held
eight, ten, and twelve. We were within
seven feet of the fence, and as we were all
men from one regiment, and all captured
at the same time, we felt that ne could
trust each other. The idea of an escape
was broached in February, but it was the
18th of April when the first real move
was made. The only showwas to tunnel
under the fence and come out by night.
There was guard stationed on elevated
platforms about tho enclosure by day,
and at night chain of sentinels walked
regular beats outside the fence. We cal
culated on a tunnel not less than thirty
feet long, and it was begun by taking up
some of the flooring in the back end Of
our shanty. Visits of inspection were
held twice per week, but there was not d
day in which some official was not liable
to come poking around. ..s- n
The floor of our shanty rested on Sleep
ers clear of the ground. We could there
fore stow away great deal of the. dirt
under the floor. We worked only at
night, and that in reliefs of two. We
first went down fourfeet, and then started
off on a straight line for the fence beyond.
We were almost at the fence before We
had to carry any of the dirt out doors.
We managed to scatter quantity around
our house without exciting suspicion,
and the rest had to be accumulated dur
ing the night and carried out in our pock-
cts. 1t was slow work when We reached
that point, and on two or three different
occasions We came very near being ex-
posed by officials dropping in on us.
There were several rainy days about the
tine we were under the fence, and for g
week our tunnel was full of water. When
that soaked away we went at our work
again, and on the morning of the 14th OF
May the last man to crawfish out of the
hole reported that our tunnel was well
beyond the sentinels' beat and ready for
the breaking of the crust. 20 D. a. &~,,.,.
If we had had the making of the
weather, we could not have planned for
a better night. 1t was dark and misty,
with every chance in our favor. During
the afternoon we drew lots to see who
should go first, and it fell to me. We had
nothing to pack up, and the whole six Of
us had only eighty cents in money be-
tween us. It was planned that we
should separate as soon as clear Of the
hole, and each was to take care of him.
self as best he could. That was long
afternoon, I can tell you, and even when
it wore away and night came we had to
wait many hours yet. Some were for 60
ing at II and others at 1 o'clock, but we
finally moved at II is. We fastened the
door of the shanty and crept into<he tun-
mel one after the other, and I was soon at
the far end of it and digging upward. I
was hard at this work when I felt the
ground break through behind me, some
one uttered yell, and then came the
cry:
"Corporal of the Guard Post No.
1871"
This was repeated several times, and
pretty soon the corporal and couple Of
guards from the relief arrived. The sem
tinel on the beat, who was big, heavy
man, had broken through into our tun-
mel, and in the fall had broken his leg.
While 1 was held prisoner in the hole, the
others crawled back, knowing that the
jig was up. 1t did not take the corporal
many minutes to discover the true'state
of affairs, and then I was hauled out by
the neck and made the butt of ridicule;
When escorted back to the shanty, the
FIVE men were found fast "asleep," but
were turned out and sent to the guard
house to keep me company. We were
reduced to half rations for thirty days,
but no further punishment was meted out